A Complete Guide to NFL Betting

The National Football League is one of the most popular sporting leagues on the planet, with the latest Super Bowl being the most watched TV program in the history of the United States. Gambling and football go hand in hand, and as the game continues to grow in popularity, so will the already profitable football gambling industry.

The following guide outlines the various types of bets you can make on NFL games, highlights what is involved in futures betting and offers some very general tips on how to develop your betting strategy.

NFL Football Betting – The Point Spread

Known as the point spread in the US and handicap betting in many other parts of the world, this bet is the most popular one to make when wagering on the NFL. Sportsbooks will look to level the playing field by giving each team an equal chance of winning. This is done by either adding points to one team or subtracting points from another. Here is an example:

New England Patriots -4.5 -110
Cleveland Browns +4.5 -110

In the above example, the Patriots have been deemed the favorites and are expected to win by more than 4.5 points. If you were to bet $110 on the Patriots and they were to win by 5 points or more, you would win $100. If you were to bet $110 on the Browns and they either won or lost by 4 points or less, you would win $100.

Below is an example of the same type of bet using decimal and fractional odds.

New England Patriots -4.5 1.9 (10/11)
Cleveland Browns +4.5 1.9 (10/11)

NFL Football Betting – The Money Line

The money line is a straightforward bet made the team you think will win the game (known as a “win bet” in other parts of the world). Below is an example of how to bet on the money line for the same two teams mentioned above.

New England Patriots -220
Cleveland Browns +180

If you were to back the Patriots, you would need to wager $220 to win $100. If backing the Browns, you would need to wager $100 to win $180.

NFL Football Betting – Totals

Another very popular bet made on NFL games is totals betting (also known as betting overs and unders). Here, the oddsmakers will try to accurately predict the total amount of points scored by both teams combined in a given game. Your job is to accurately predict whether the total number of points scored will be over or under the amount displayed. Here is an example:

Over 47.5 points -110
Under 47.5 points -110

It’s important to note that you are not obliged to bet the full amount listed in any of the above examples. On the totals, for example, you wouldn’t need to bet $110 to win $100. You could bet $11 to win $10, or $2 to win $1.80. All bets are paid on a pro-rata basis.

Other bets on individual games include prop bets, which are based on the performance of an individual player, wagers on halftime scores, and live and in play bets, where the lines will move based on what is happening in real-time.

NFL Betting Futures

From the second the Vince Lombardi trophy is handed over to its lucky recipient, sportsbooks begin evaluating the odds; giving you a chance to place a wager on the following year’s Super Bowl within hours. Obviously your money will be tied up for a year, but you’ll also be able to bet throughout that year on who you think the Super Bowl winner will be, or what you think might happen throughout the regular season and the playoffs.

Other futures bets include the AFC and NFC Championship game winners, as well as bets on individual divisions.

NFL Football Betting – Strategy

There are numerous factors to consider when deciding on who or what to bet on in a given NFL game. Some important things to look out for are how a team’s offense matches up against the other’s defense; whether either team has major injury concerns; home field advantage (experts consider the average home team to have a 3 point advantage over the visiting team); how intense were both teams’ previous encounters; and finally the current form of the all- important quarterbacks.